Skirt



No. 608,469. Patented Aug. 2, I898.

B; E. MARTIN.

SK IRT.

- (Application filed Aug. 25, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets$heet l.

THE NORR\ PETERS co.. Fnoro-umo" WASHINGTON. a. c,

Patented Aug. 2 I898. B. E. MARTIN.

SKIRT.

(Application filed Aug. 25, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

- (No Model.)

A TTOHNE In, lllll I W/TNESS S ms'uonms PzTRs c0. PNOTO-LITHO..WASHINGTON. a. c

I the seat to show the plaits.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT @rrrcn.

BERTHA ELLIS MARTIN, OF 'ASBURY PARK, NEW JERSEY.

SKIRT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 608,469, dated August2, 1898. Application filed August 25, 1897. Serial No. 649,481. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it concern:

Be it known that I, BERTHA ELLIs MARTIN,

. of Asbury Park, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey,have invented a new and Improved Skirt, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description. e

The object of my invention is to provide bicycle-skirt, especially askirt having the appearance of an apron front, which will not blow upover the knees and which may be used with comfort upon drop-frame orupon diamond-frame wheels, the skirt hanging gracefully whether therider be mounted or dismounted.

Another object of the invention is to pro- Vide a means whereby thefront portion of the skirt may be securely held upon the person whilethe back portion is dropped at the waist.

A further object .of the invention is to so construct the skirt at thecrotch and seat that said portions will be particularly adapted to thesaddle, preventing the skirt from pulling or drawin g at any part whilethe wearer is mounted and the wheel is in motion, the crotch and seatbeing also so constructed that they will admit of all the freedomrequired in the way of give or elasticity,

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved skirt. Fig. 2 isa frontview of the skirt open at the sides and opened at the division belowFig. 3 is a section taken practically through the skirt from side toside, showing the inner portion of the back and the seat in section.Fig. 4:- is a diagrammatic horizontal section illustrating the manner inwhich the plaits are formed and secured together at the front and at theback. Fig. '5 is a rear elevation of the skirt. Fig. 6 is a transversesection through the skirt, taken at the center; and Fig. 7 is a detailview of the combined crotch and seat.

Both the front A and the rear A of the skirt are plain and divided atthe center. The

usual placket-opening at the back is omitted,

being returned and instead an opening 10 is made at each side, the saidopenings being provided with overlapping flaps 11 and 12, one flap beingpreferably provided with buttons and the other with buttonholes, asshown in Figs. 2 and 6.

An ornamental cover-flap 13 is attached to each side of the front of theskirt, extending over the openings 10 and concealing the same. Thewaistband 14 of the front section A of the skirt is carried beyond thesides of the said section, as shown at 14 in Figs. 1 and 2, beingadapted to extend over the waistband 15 of the rear section A of theskirt. The waistband 15 of the rear section is provided with buttons 16,and the waistband of the front section has buttonholes 17 to receive thesaid buttons. It is therefore evident that the waistband of the frontsection may be secured around the waist, while the Waistband of the rearsection is unbuttoned, and the upper portion of the rear section may bedropped.

At the upper central portion of the front section A of theskirt astraight opening 18 is made, which extends from the top edge to a pointat or near the crotch. The front is made with two plain panels 19, andback of each of these panels the material at each side of the opening 18is returned uponv itself to form a series of plaits 20, which arepreferably graduated in width, and the material of one of the innermostplaits is made to extend over the opening 18, forming a closing-flap 22therefon, The plaits at each side of the opening 18 are secured togetherby lines of stitching 21, which stitching extends the length of theopening 18. The rear section A of the s irt is similarly constructed tothe front sectio A, except that the central opening 23, corre onding tothe opening 18 at the front, is mad on the bias, and the back comprisestwo oute plain panels 24, the material on itself at each side of theopening 23 to fo m plaits 25, graduated in width,the opening beingclosed at the inner portion of the back by a closing-flap 26, being acontinuation of one of the plaits,- and the plaits ateach side of theopening 23 are connected by lines of stitching 27.

The plaits at the front and at the back ex tend downward to the bottomedge of the skirt, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The

plaits at the front and at the back being stitched part Way downeffectually keeps the skirt in place over the knees as well as over thesaddle. The side flaps 13 relieve the plain appearance of the front ofthe skirt, and I desire it to be understood that where the sec tions ofthe skirt meet at every seam one edge is bias and the other edge isstraight.

A very important feature of the invention consists in the formation ofthe seat B. This seat is practically a gusset of peculiar constructionand is of diamond shape. The inner seams of the sections of the skirtconnect with this gusset. In fact the gusset serves to connect the frontand the rear sections, the plaits folding at each side of the gusset.This gusset not only forms a seat, but also what maybe termed the crotchof the garment, and its form enables the garment at its seat to properlyadjust itself to the saddle and prevents any pulling or drawing from anypart of the garment when the rider is mounted and while the machine isin motion. The

gusset is preferably provided with a seam 28 through the center, saidseam being bias, and in order to further promote the elasticity of thegusset it has no straight edges whatever, every edge being cut on thebias.

The garment is preferably provided with a pocket 29 at the front, inwhich a watch may be carried, and a pocket 30 at the back, adapted tocarry a purse, handkerchief, or other article.

Having thus fully described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent A skirt having a front portion and a rearportion, each provided with a central Vertical opening extending fromthe waist to the crotch, leg portions joined together at the crotch,plaits extending downwardly from the waist at each side of said openingsto the bottom of the skirt, the end of one plait at its upper portionbeing extended across the adj aeent opening to close the same, and linesof stitehin g extending through the skirt portions and through the upperportions of the plaits longitudinally of the said openings and closelyadjacent thereto, the lower or leg portions of the plaits, from thecrotch downward, being loose, substantially as described.

BERTI'IA ELLIS MARTIN.

Witnesses:

G. 13. Davis, TV. I. SHERMAN.

